The Wild Card Ace
by Drago3511
Summary: Tartarus, the Dark Hour, Shadows, all of these were created over 10 years ago by an experiment performed by the Kirijo Group. But they were not the only things... there were also the Undead. To combat both the Shadows and Undead, a new system was created by the Kirijo Group, the Rider System. Minato Arisato is Kamen Rider Blade! Turn Up! Rated M because Persona.
1. The Arrival of The New Student!

"Hello everyone, Drago3511 here with another Kamen Rider story for your reading pleasure! And this time, we're going down the path of a card-themed Rider!"

Sean: "Is it Decade?"

"No... we just started that with DiEnd."

Sean: "Is it Ryuki?"

"I'm doing that later... why are you even here?! This has nothing to do with you!" *Pulls out the Home-Run Bat from Super Smash Bros and hits him, home-run style*

 _ **GAME!**_

"...ANYWAY! We're going down the path of Kamen Rider Blade this time! And we're doing that as a crossover with... Persona 3! Having just beaten the game not too long ago, I'm feeling very good about this one. And I'm sure you all guessed it from the title, well... the Persona fans anyway, Blade will be none-other than our protagonist Minato Arisato!"

"And yes, I'm using that name from the manga. Not the name they gave him in the Persona 3 movies. Makoto Yuuki sounds like a girl's name anyhow."

"Let's get on with the disclaimer then. I do not own Kamen Rider, Shin Megami Tensei, or Persona. They all belong to their own respective creators. I only own any characters, Riders, attacks, etc. that I created out of my own ideas. Now let's get on with this!"

 **TURN UP!**

* * *

"I am sorry, child... there is no other way. Death must not be allowed to roam free." The soft, but somehow cold female voice apologized. There was nothing to recognize, no way of identifying the voice.

Standing there on the bridge during midnight, a young boy with dark blue hair stood there next to a turned over and wrecked car that had caught on fire, smoke rising into the night sky. If one were to look inside the car, they would find an adult male and female body... both unmoving, as their lives have left them.

"For your own protection, take this. They will come for you someday."

The boy took hold of a large rectangular device that didn't quite fit in his hands, and a single card depicting a kabutomushi with a red ace on the back of it's shell.

"Protect it with your life, for it will also protect you."

The voice then ceased... as if it was merely the wind speaking...

* * *

"Ten years ago... it still feels like a dream."

Yes, it's been a whole decade since that night... that same boy has now reached his teen years. His dark blue hair grown slightly longer so his bangs covered one of his grey eyes. Over his ears were a pair of silver clip-on headphones, connected to a slim stick-style mp3 player, currently playing the song "Burn My Dread". He was aslo wearing a school uniform consisting of black slacks, a white button-up shirt, a black string tie, and a black blazer.

It was nighttime, creeping closer and closer to midnight.

The boy was riding a train currently, on his way to his new high school where he's transferring to this year. But tonight, he'd have to move his belongings to the dorm where he would be living for the next two years.

" _We apologize for any inconveniences, passengers. Our next stop will be Iwatodai._ "

The conductor announced over the speaker system. He couldn't hear the announcement over his headphones... and it didn't help that he had the volume maxed out. He couldn't even hear an explosion at this rate. But he read the map that layed out the train route beforehand. He knew that his stop was next.

So he started to walk over to the train door, so he'd be the first one to get off.

About ten minutes later, the train slowed down to a halt, and the doors to the train car opened.

" _Iwatodai. Iwatodai. This is the last train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure._ "

The clock reached ever closer to the new day...

11:59:50

11:59:55

56...

57...

58...

59...

12:00:00

The music stopped. The lights went out. There was no power... and the sky glowed an eerie shade of green. And what looked like blood started to ooze from the clock in the station.

"Huh?"

The only words the boy muttered. He blinked before sighing and walking out of the train station. What should have been busy streets were completely abandoned... save for the coffins standing upright scattered throughout the city.

Sidewalks, crosswalks, alleyways, stairs, doorways, you name it.

Not even the sound of mice or alley cats... everything was completely silent... save for his footsteps echoing into the night.

But the sight did not deter him. He simply kept walking, carrying his luggage, headphones still clipped on even with no music. And in his hand, a sheet of paper with basic information on it about his new school.

Gekkoukan High.

He stopped walking, right in the middle of a puddle... it was thin like water... but it was completely blood red. But he didn't stop to inspect the puddle that he stood in. He was looking up at a single four-story building. The building that he would call home for the rest of his time at Gekkoukan High School. This was his dormitory. But unlike the rest of the city, the lights were on inside.

He grabbed the handle of the door... and opened it.

Stepping inside, it looked relatively clean and normal. Actually, it looked a little high-end. A decorative rug at the doorstep, green and yellow wall-to-wall carpeting, a reception desk to his left, laps on either side of the door, a china cabinet to his right, two leather sofas and a leather chair surrounding a coffee table, an old TV, and a wall with frosted glass separating the room from the dining room and what looked like a bar.

He placed his bag down in front of him and took off his headphones, clipping them to his blazer.

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

He looked back over at the reception desk, and he noticed there was a pale young boy with short black hair and blue eyes, wearing striped clothes behind the desk... the clothes looked stereotypical of a prisoner.

"Now, if you want to proceed..."

And with the snap of his fingers, the young boy was in front of the older one, and a red folder appeared on the desk, next to an ink pot with a quill pen inside.

"Please sign your name here. It's a contract."

As if on command, the folder opened itself to reveal a contract.

"Don't worry, all it says is that you'll take full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

And so, after letting the younger boy speak, he picked up the pen and signed his name in the usual Japanese way. Last name, then first name...

Arisato Minato.

"No one can escape time." The boy took the folder and closed it, hugging it to his chest. "It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." With a sleight of hand, the folder disappeared, as if it was never even there to begin with.

As the lights dimmed and shadows crept closer, engulfing the boy, he let out four simple words...

"And so it begins."

And the lights died out... taking on the same green tint to the room that the rest of the outside world knows. And the boy... gone, like the contract.

It was silent for a few moments... just Minato and his luggage occupying the otherwise empty room.

"Who's there?!"

That was until a feminine voice called out. Minato turned his head to see a girl standing there, about his age. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink cardigan over a white button-up shirt with a red bow tied to it, a red armband on her left arm, a white choker around her neck with a heart-shaped buckle, a black skirt, black stockings that stopped just below her knees, and brown shoes. Attached to her right thigh was a holster... and it was filled with a pistol!

The girl was breathing heavily, sweat glistened on her forehead, she looked slightly crazed as her right hand reached for the gun. Just as she took a hold of the grip, another female voice called out.

"Takeba, wait!"

Minato and the girl both looked over at the stairs leading to the main room. Standing there was another girl, this one had a more mature air to her. She looked a year older, with long red hair curling over her shoulder while the rest of it fell down her back and covering one of her eyes, which were also a dark shade of red. She was wearing the button-up shirt and bow, as well as black heeled boots that also reached just below her knees. She also had a red armband and a holster containing a gun, only her holster was on her waist instead of her thigh.

And it was just like that, the lights came to life and Minato's mp3 player came back to life, continuing the song where it previously had cut off. The clock mounted on the wall of the room now read 1:00:00. The girl designated as Takeba had calmed down at the sight of the older girl, who promptly walked down the stairs with her arms crossed as she approached the two.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late." she said to Minato. "My name is Kirijo Mitsuru, I'm one of the students who in this dorm." Takeba turned to Mitsuru.

"Who's he?" she asked.

"He's a transfer student, they assigned him here as a last minute decision. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boy's dorm." Mitsuru explained.

"Is it okay for him to be here?" Takeba asked warily.

"I guess we'll see..." Mitsuru replied with a smirk on her face as she closed her eyes. She turned back to Minato and gestured to her brunette companion. "This is Takeba Yukari, she'll be a second-year this spring like you." Yukari nodded and waved softly.

"Hey."

Minato looked at them plainly and looked down at Yukari's thigh. "Why do you have a gun?"

It seemed like Yukari wasn't expecting the question, because she looked baffled.

"Um, well... it's sorta like a hobby... Well, not a hobby, but..." She was at a loss of words.

"You know how it is these days, it's for self-defense." Mitsuru cut in, promptly saving Yukari the trouble of trying to come up with something. "It's not a real gun, of course."

"Oh, alright." Minato seemed satisfied with the answer given to him.

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest." Mitsuru gestured to the stairs. "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should have already been moved in there."

Yukari stood there for a moment until she realized her cue. "Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Minato nodded and grabbed his bag, following Yukari up the stairs. It was a large spiral staircase, leading to the second floor, which had a small area with a table, seats, and two vending machines. She lead him down the hallway, past a few doors, until she came to the very last one.

"This is it. Pretty easy to remember, right? Since it's right at the end of the hall." She smiled a bit before leaning in and whispering to him. "Oh yeah, make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it." Then she leaned back and crossed her arms behind her back. "So, any questions?"

Minato scratched his chin for a moment before looking at Yukari with the same monotone stare as he did earlier. "Just one. Does that kid live here too?"

Yukari seemed confused by this... and a little freaked out. "What kid? What are you talking about? ...C'mon, it's not funny." She didn't seem to know what Minato was talking about at all. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Now it was Minato's turn to act confused. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I... never mind. It seems like you're alright." She smiled a bit again. "Well, I better get going." She starts to walk away, but stops right after passing his door. "Look, I'm sure you have other questions, but let's save them for later. Okay? Good night." And with that, she left for the third floor, where all of the girls' rooms were.

Minato nodded and walked into his new room. It was very simple. Well, he did just move in. There was his bed, a TV on a small stand next to a desk with a swivel chair, a sink and mirror, and a mini fridge. Minato set his bag down on the desk and pulled out some pajamas, a tooth brush, and a comb. He changed out of his uniform and put the pj's on before brushing his teeth and getting under the covers for sleep.

Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of his life... which may not last as long as he had hoped. In his bag, two more items were inside that he made sure to keep with him at all times... that rectangular device, and a clear plastic case containing the card with the kabutomushi that showed the spade on the back of it's shell.

* * *

"And there's the first chapter of The Wild Card Ace. Sorry for no action scenes, and it was basically a retelling of the first 12 minutes of Persona 3. But we'll get more into the story starting next chapter. I'm cutting it off here because it's late right now and I want to get some sleep... because it's already midnight... everything seems to be working properly, so I don't think it's the Dark Hour right now..."

"Any of you who haven't played Persona may not get that joke."

"Oh, before I forget, I'm going to set up a poll on my profile for who Minato should "Social Link" with, if you catch my drift. I was originally going to put in Yukari, but I'm starting to decide against it. So, feel free to vote, those of you who know how polls work know it'll be on my profile. If you didn't know, now you do."

"Well, until next time everyone, ja ne!"


	2. Henshin! Kamen Rider Blade, Sanjou!

"Hello everyone, Drago3511 here with another chapter of The Wild Card Ace!"

"In the spirit of Halloween coming up, I felt you were all entitled to another chapter. Though I am also going to be working on a Kamen Rider Ghost story as well as an extra treat for all the readers."

"I also recently acquired a digital version of Persona 3 FES for my PS3, so I will be basing this story off of my own gameplay, with the Kamen Rider elements thrown in of course."

"Oh, and before I forget, the last poll for who Minato will "Social Link with ended in a three-way tie. So as of this chapter, the remaining three choices for that poll are as follows."

Yukari

Mitsuru

Aigis

"Though I am not going to take down the current poll that I have right now for "Mach Speed, Dattebayo!" because I want reader input on what should become of Sasuke. And if you are a Kamen Rider fan, which I don't know why you would be reading these if you aren't, it would be nice if you could take a moment to vote."

"One last thing, I will continue doing the Japanese-style of using full names, especially with introductions. So it will be last name, then first name. ex: Arisato Minato"

"Enough with that, let's get on with the disclaimer then. I do not own Kamen Rider, Shin Megami Tensei, or Persona. They all belong to their own respective creators. I only own any characters, Riders, attacks, etc. that I created out of my own ideas. Now let's get on with this!"

 **TURN UP!**

* * *

It was the next morning as Minato woke up from his first night's sleep at the dormitory. He awoke before his alarm clock and got out of bed to get dressed in his uniform, which he placed on his desk next to his window last night. There was also a sink and mirror for which he used to comb his hair and brush his teeth.

As he finished his morning routine, there was a knock on his door.

 _Knock, knock_

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

Seeing as it would be rude to ignore her, Minato opened the door for her. Though not before going to his bag and grabbing the card and mechanical device from his bag and putting them in his school bag. He always liked to have them close at hand.

She walked in past the doorway and greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"

Though he didn't get a minute to respond before she looked him up and down.

"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school." She told him. "It's getting late, so... are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." He responded.

"Okay, then let's go."

* * *

The two of them made it out of the dorm and onto the train that took them into the city. From the station, the made their way to the entrance of a very modern-looking high school. There were students walking past both Yukari and Minato, some even riding bikes to make it to class on time.

"Good morning." a female student greeted to Yukari as she rode past them on a bike of her own.

"Good morning." She responded.

The two stopped at the school gates and she gestured to the building for Minato.

"This is it, welcome to Gekkoukan High School!"

* * *

Stepping through the entrance and making their way to the shoe lockers where students would place their personal shoes for safe keeping and put on their school uniform's shoes, Yukari and Minato made sure they had their things together.

"You're okay from here, right?" She asked him. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is down there to the left."

Minato followed the direction in which she was pointing. Though he could tell his lefts from his rights, ups, and downs.

"And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"No, not really." Minato said. He figured it would be best for him to figure things out and get the feel for the layout of the school on his own, not that he didn't appreciate Yukari being so kind.

"Hey..." Yukari gave him a slightly worried look, which he looked at before he made his way to see his teacher. "About last night...don't tell anybody about what you saw, okay?"

Minato knew what she was talking about and gave a soft nod. This made Yukari sigh in relief and give a small smile.

"See ya later."

And with that, she walked off.

As he was about to head over to the faculty office, Minato noticed quite a few students standing in front of a bulletin board. Having piqued his curiosity, he walked over to see what the news was. And lo and behold, it was the class roster! He glazed over it once to try and find his name to see which class that he was in, but he couldn't find it anywhere. So he took an even closer inspection to find a note with his name on it under the Second Year list.

 _Arisato Minato - Class F_

With that knowledge in hand, Minato turned around and walked through an arch that lead down the hallway. Spotting the first set of sliding doors on his left and a sign that read "Faculty Office", he opened the door and walked in.

 **(A/N: Okay, if anyone here has ACTUALLY played Persona 3, I will not bore you much further. We'll get to the action soon, I promise. I may do this more than once, but for now, I will just do this.)**

* * *

 **(Time Skip: After School)**

"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well." Minato mused to himself the words of his principal from the earlier welcoming ceremony. Feeling inside his bag from under his desk, he won't forget those words. Closing his bag and getting up from his desk to head back, Minato was intercepted by another student.

"'Sup, dude?" Said student was wearing a high-collared blue shirt under his uniform jacket, which also had a pin of what looked like the Irish flag on it. He was also wearing a blue baseball cap over his short black hair, and he had some noticeable scruff on his chin to make up a small beard.

"How's it goin'?" He asked.

"Who are you?" Minato asked back.

"Me? I'm Iori Junpei, nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade." The now-known Junpei introduced. "I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... so I wanted to say 'hey". See what a nice guy I am?" Junpei grinned like an idiot. Yukari made her way over to the two, which they both took notice of. Especially Junpei. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

In response to this Yukari just sighed, "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

Junpei looked a little shocked and disappointed.

"What? But I was just bein' friendly."

"If you say so." She then turned her attention to Minato. "Anyway, looks like we're in the same homeroom."

"It's just a coincidence." He shrugged.

"I know, but still... I was a little surprised."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" Junpei interrupted, trying not to be left out of the conversation. "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"W-what are you talking about?!" Yukari demanded in slight shock. "We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay?" She looked a little unnerved. "Why are people even talking about it?! Now you have me worried..."

And once again, she turned her attention back to the bluenette.

"Hey... you didn't say anything to anyone about... you know what, did you?"

"You know what?" Minato asked in feigned ignorance. If he answered the question honestly, it would just look suspicious. Especially to a bunch of teenagers. You know how gossip spreads like wildfire.

"Don't tell me you forgot already!" She said infuriated. Then she calmed down. "Seriously... don't say anything about last night, alright?"

And if one were to look inside Minato's head, they would see a chibi version of himself sighing and smacking himself in the forehead. Way to be subtle...

Junpei looked at Yukari with the exact kind of misunderstanding shock that Minato wanted to avoid in the first place.

"W-what?" She asked him.

"L-last night?" Junpei didn't know how to put it into words. Minato just gave her a look that said _"I tried to avoid this, but you dug this hole yourself."_

"W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us! Geez..." She shook her head in disbelief. "I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!"

With those last words, Yukari turned around and walked out of the classroom. Junpei just scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid."

 _'You would be very surprised at how wrong you are.'_ Minato thought to himself.

Junpei turned to him with a bit of excitement on his face. "But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!" He then got an over-eager, if not slightly overjoyed and creepy face. "Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

* * *

After walking partway and splitting up with Junpei, Minato took the train back home. Upon walking through the door, he was greeted with the sight of Mitsuru sitting on one of the couches and reading a book.

"Welcome back." She greeted, taking a moment to look up from her own reading. Minato nodded and saw some kind of time sheet on the counter next to the door. Figuring it must be to let people know when you leave and return to the dorm, he wrote down the current time to show that he was back.

After looking into the dining area to see that Yukari was just sitting there looking at her phone, figuring that she was probably texting someone or looking through her contacts, Minato went up to his room for the night, figuring to not bother either of the girls with what they're doing.

Though unbeknownst to him, there was a fourth student who lived in the dorm. But now was not the time or place to make introductions. They would happen in due time.

* * *

The next day after school, Minato walked back to the dorm and found Yukari sitting down in the living area, talking to an older gentleman.

"Oh, he's back." She noted.

"So, this is our new guest." The man stated. He had long brown hair that went past his shoulders, black eyes, and rimless glasses. He was wearing a brown suit with a black turtleneck sweater underneath. He and Yukari both got up from their seats and walked over to him. "Good evening. My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. "Ikutsuki"... hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes..." He chuckled a bit as he talked. "Please, have a seat."

The two went back to their original seats, with Minato sitting next to Yukari on the couch.

"I'm sorry for the confusion regarding your accommodations." Shuji said. "However, it may take a little while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Minato took a moment to figure out what it is that would be on his mind. Then he asked:

"Who else lives here?"

"There are only four students in this dorm. You, Yukari here, Mitsuru, and a senior named Sanada Akihiko. I hope you all get along." He said with a smile. "Any other questions?"

"No, I'm good." He said, gently shaking his head.

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He got up from his seat and started to walk to the stairs, but turned around and looked at Minato once more. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm.!' ...Please forgive the pun." He chuckled at his own joke. Then he walked away, leaving the two teens to their own devices.

"Ugh..." Yukari sighed. "You'll get used to his lame jokes."

"I guess you're right." Minato said. Though the joke didn't phase him much for laughter or distaste, he could definitely agree that Shuji Ikutsuki wouldn't be performing stand up and getting any cheers any time soon. "Guess I'll take his advice and go to bed. Night, Yukari."

"Good night."

So he got up from the couch and went to his room for the night.

* * *

Though after he fell asleep, Minato could feel his consciousness move elsewhere. Before he could even tell, he was sitting in a chair, wearing his uniform. His surroundings consisted of mostly... blue. Lots of blue. Save for the gold metal gate that made up the back wall, and the frame, hands, and numbers on a constantly rotating clock.

Minato could feel from the push he was feeling and the rush of lights moving down through the gate wall that he was on an elevator... a very large elevator.

In front of him was a round table with a blue tablecloth, and two people. The firs was an elderly man sitting on a fancy blue couch. He was wearing a grey tuxedo and white silk gloves. Though the strange thing about this elderly man was not his balding head or his bushy eyebrows, but his unbelievably long nose, his pointy ears, and his bloodshot eyes that were wide open and didn't seem to have any eyelids... though he was blinking by some means.

Next to this man stood a young woman with short silver hair in a bob, and golden yellow eyes. She wore what passed for an elevator attendant's uniform, which consisted of a blue dress, matching blue boots and gloves, a little blue bellhop's hat, and black leggings. In her hand was some sort of large leather-bound book.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man. My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you." Elizabeth said in a soft, yet well mannered voice."

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter..." Igor spoke. "It's been years since we've had a guest." With the wave of his hand, on the table appeared the contract that Minato signed on his first night at the dorm, where he met the young boy in prison clothes. How Igor got his hands on it in this... Velvet Room, was beyond Minato's comprehension. Unless that boy was somehow connected to this place.

"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcomed here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return... that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"I understand." Minato said, as he nodded. Not that he did COMPLETELY anyway, but he got the gist of what Igor was saying.

"Hold on to this..."

A light appeared before Minato and took the form of a key, the Velvet Key. He took it and put it in his pocket... hoping that it might still be there when he wakes up from all of this.

"'Till we meet again... Ace of Spades."

With that, Minato's consciousness drifted from the Velvet Room, his vision going black.

* * *

It has been a full 24 hours since that night in the Velvet Room, and Minato is fast asleep in his bed. Completely unaware of the events that were about to transpire on this night of the full moon.

Though that didn't last long as the building shook with a _BANG!_

Minato awoke and was already on alert. He hastily got out of his pajamas and into something more practical... which on hand, happened to be his school uniform. He slipped into his clothes and grabbed his items from his bag. The device and the kabutomushi card.

"It can only be one of two things, but I'm gonna have to draw them away from here to keep the others safe." Minato muttered to himself. That was when he heard something down the hall and went to look out his door. But before he even made it, someone knocked harshly on his door.

"Wake up!" It was Yukari!

"Sorry, I'm coming in!" She opened the door and ran into the room, completely flustered. And she was holding a short sword! "I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"

"Okay." He nodded. Then another shake through the building occurred.

"Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" She said, before she stopped herself. "Wait, take this. Just in case." She handed him the bladed weapon without hesitation. She still had that gun strapped to her leg, like she did the night that he came to the dorm. She wasn't completely defenseless then. Minato didn't have time to debate and just accepted it.

"Okay, let's go!"

They made it out of the room and downstairs through the dining room to the back door.

"Alright, we should be safe now-" _*ring ring ring*_ Yukari's phone rang. She answered it, and Mitsuru's voice came through on the other end.

 _"Takeba, do you read me?!"_

"Y-yes! I hear you!"

 _"Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"_

"What?!"

There was a crash against the door in front of the two of them and Yukari hung up in surprise.

"Let's pull back!" She ran away from the door and up the stairs. The shaking became more violent as they proceeded, meaning that whatever was chasing them was downstairs!

So they continued through the second and third floors until they heard a sound like glass shattering.

"What was that?!" Yukari asked in panic. And the shaking continued, with the sound of... squishing? Whatever it was, it didn't sound pleasant. "It's getting closer! Keep moving, hurry!"

Their feet kept moving them up the spiral staircase until they reached the top floor and made it through the door that lead to the roof, making sure it was secure as they closed it.

"Phew..." Yukari sighed. "I think we're okay for now."

But Minato knew better. They were far from in the clear. And to confirm his thoughts, the sound of stomping and the shaking under their feet drew louder and heavier.

"Huh?!"

They both turned around to see a black tar-like hand pull itself over the ledge of the roof.

"What?!"

The hands kept coming until the mass of tar-like appendages came into full view, revealing large blades in some of them, and a large blue mask in another.

"Those monsters, we call them Shadows!" Yukari pulled the gun from her holster and pointed it at her own head, but it got knocked away from her hand by the Shadow.

Minato looked down and picked up the pistol. The image of the young boy appeared in his mind.

 _"Go on... take it."_

He pointed it at his head, holding it to the side with one hand, as if he were about to blow his own brains out. Then... he muttered one simple word.

"Persona..."

And pulled the trigger.

 _ **BANG!**_

But there was no splatter, no blood. Instead, a blue light surrounded Minato, rising from around his feet and his very being.

 _ **THOU ART I**_

 _ **AND I AM THOU**_

 _ **FROM THE SEA OF THINE SOUL, I COME**_

 _ **I AM ORPHEUS, MASTER OF STRINGS**_

A being behind Minato appeared. It looked mechanical for the most part, with some kind of gyro in it's stomach. Though the head was human, with blonde hair and black skin, with a red scarf around it's neck. And most notably, a giant lyre across it's back.

Orpheus roared into the night sky of the Dark Hour, but something seemed amiss. He seemed to shake before something VIOLENTLY BURST OUT FROM HIM! Completely shattering and brutally emerging from what once was Orpheus, this new humanoid creature was dressed in dark clothes, with white gloves and a mask that looked like a skull broken into the upper part, and the jaw. Floating behind it's back were several coffins, and in one hand a sword.

It attacked the Shadow that knocked the gun away from Yukari, grippind it in one hand before, with a single stroke of it's weapon, cut it in half. A single black arms that was wriggling in it's grasp was completely squished, oozing from the new figure's hand. It roared into the night sky as Orpheus did... though what seemed like static seemed to distort reality itself, and Orpheus was floating where the creature that gruesomely emerged from it was before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Is it over?" Yukari asked, now regaining her voice after witnessing the events that transpired.

"Not yet." Minato said. The two halves of the Shadow that remained took individual shapes, and he charged at them, sword and gun in hand. He slashed twice at one of them, though not before getting attacked back. Though it was nothing as the first Shadow disappeared in a black mist from the second slash. Minato raised the gun to his hand again, calling on his new power.

 **"ORPHEUS!"**

He pulled the trigger and summoned the mechanical humanoid. It reached to it's back and pulled off the lyre, using the metal frame of the instrument to smash the second Shadow into nothingness.

Minato sighed as the creatures were gone. Orpheus returned his instrument to where it once was and disappeared, waiting to be called upon once again.

Yukari sighed as well, before she took notice of a blur raising up into the night sky. "Look out!" Minato took notice of a figure diving at him, though he had to act fast and ditch any extra weight. So he dropped the sword and dodged to the left. What descended on the weapon snapped the metal in two under it's weight. Minato looked at his new attacker and saw what it was. It was humanoid in shape, though it was mostly green and black. It had insectoid features, such as the wings on it's back, and most noticeably, it's head was insect-like as well.

"Judging from my list, you're Category 5 of Spades, Locust Undead." He said, getting to his feet. Yukari looked at him in shock.

"Wait, UNDEAD?! You know about these things?! But how?!"

"Because, it's my unofficial job to seal them. It has been for ten years." He reached into the inner pocket of his uniform jacket and pulled out the device and the kabutomushi card. He slid the card into a small slot in the front of the device, activating it. What looked to be like the backs of red playing cards looped around his waist, with the sound of shuffling a deck, until it connected to the other side like a belt.

"Wait, is that... what Mitsuru-senpai was telling me about?"

* * *

From another room in the building with monitors, Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Ikutsuki all looked at the screen to see Minato with the belt facing the Locust Undead.

"It can't be... all these years and the Blay Buckle was with him?" Mitsuru asked in disbelief.

The Blay Buckle, the Blay Rouzer, and the Category Ace of Spades: Change Beetle card, along with several blank Rouze Cards. They were lost to the Kirijo Group 10 years ago. On a particular night that changed the life of one individual in particular, who has been guarding and using these items for 10 years. Arisato Minato. Though of course, it wasn't until recently that he could actually USE the system. The strain was too much on his young body, but now...

* * *

 **(Rooftop)**

Minato brought back his left arm to his waist, while his right arm was raised diagonally to the left, his last three fingers curled in while his index finger and thumb were stretched out. With a flip of his wrist, he called out:

"Henshin."

He brought his right hand down to a lever on the device, while his left hand swapped places and was in previous position of his right. The front of the buckle flipped over, revealing a gold spade symbol on a red background.

 **TURN UP!**

A holographic blue card flew out of the BlayBuckle and spun until it grew to the size of a human being. This card had a kabutomushi on it, just like the Change Beetle card. Minato walked towards it until his body pushed through and covered him in a special suit of armor once he pushed through. He retained the Blay Buckle, but next to him in a holster on the left side of his waist was a type of sword weapon. This was the Blay Rouzer. And on his right was another holster for that gun he was using earlier.

More noticeably, Minato was now covered in a blue undersuit, with silver armor with gold accents on his feet, shins, forearms, knees, shoulders, and chest. The chest and shoulder armor had silver spades on them.

And finally, there was a helmet covering his face. It was a blue helmet with a silver face that had a curved horn, reminiscent of a beetle. There were also large red compound eyes with a blue streak under each one.

This... was Kamen Rider Blade.

Taking his sword from it's holster, Blade raised it in retaliation to the Locust Undead.

"You won't be causing anymore trouble, so it's time to fold. Or, are you all in?"

The Undead retorted by jumping into the air again and going for another drop kick. Though Minato was able to determine that this would happen, so he dodged to the side again and slashed at the creature.

Figuring it would be best to end this quickly, so Minato pulled the gun to his head again.

 **"ORPHEUS!"**

On command and the pull of the trigger, Orpheus appeared. Though this time, he pulled the lyre off his back and strummed it instead of using it as a weapon. When that happened, the Locust Undead combusted into flame.

"We need to wrap this up."

Minato turned the Blay Rouzer upside down and pulled open an entire fan, revealing cards. Many of them were blank, but he only needed one. He reached to the furthest left card and pulled it from the fan, before closing it again to reveal a card with some kind of lizard on it with a sword for a tail. Orpheus placed the lyre on it's back once more and glowed blue for a moment.

But he did not disappear. No, the light completely shrouded him before dying out and revealing another card. This card flew into Minato's hand next to the other one. It had the same borer style and bar code system that the other card did, though this one depicted Orpheus strumming the lyre with a fireball next to it.

Deciding not to speak against it, Minato ran both cards down a channel on the Blay Rouzer.

 **SLASH**

 **AGI**

 _ **GURENTOU**_

The bladed part of the weapon became enshrouded in fire and Minato charged at the Locust Undead, which was still staggering to get up after the burning from Orpheus. Minato leapt up and brought his weapon upon the Undead with a downward strike, followed by another slash through the side, dashing behind it.

The Locust Undead cried in pain as it fell to the ground once more and caused a small explosion. Among the flames lay the Locust Undead. Defeated, but not dead. Hence the name. Minato reached into the Blay Rouzer fan and pulled a blank card before throwing it at the defeated monster. The card landed and glowed green, absorbing it into itself, and flying back into Minato's hand. This card depicted a simple locust in the same style as the lizard.

Reaching down and pulling the lever again, Minato undid his transformation, the armor disappearing as another blue holo-card passed by him. He walked over to Yukari and handed the gun back to her.

"I think we should have a talk with everyone."

And right when he spoke those words, the darkness overtook his senses and he collapsed onto the roof.

* * *

"And there's the second chapter of The Wild Card Ace. This marks the debut of the Persona world's very own Kamen Rider! I worked my ass off, keeping my game of Persona 3 on for hours on end just to keep the scenes authentic. I know I could have used YouTube. But like I said, I'm basing this off of my own playthrough, with the Kamen rRder bits mixed in."

"Anyhow, that marks another night past midnight writing a chapter for you guys. And Happy Halloween! Spooks and shivers everywhere you go today! Just don't try to get yourself murdered... wait, wrong Persona game. That's 4, not 3. Anyway, I'm gonna try and start working on the Ghost story asap... as soon as I save my game. Been on the victory menu for a while now since the first real fight of the game... and the jingle is getting a little annoying."

"As I said in the opener, the Social Linking is down to three candidates: Yukari, Aigis, and Mitsuru. Fuuka was so close, but she just didn't make the cut. So leave your votes for those three in the review, please limit yourself to one vote. Normally, I WOULD keep it in the poll to keep track of it easier, but I've got my "What should become of Sasuke?" poll going. So if it's not too much of a bother, go check out that one on my profile page. Please."

"Well, until next time everyone, ja ne!"


End file.
